Action for Blind People

Action for Blind People is a national charity that provides practical support to blind and partially sighted people through work, housing, leisure and support. Their vision is quite simple. They believe in a world where people who are blind or partially sighted are enabled to actively participate in society and have equal access to the choices and opportunities that so many take for granted.

www.afbp.org

Bizfizz

In any community there are people who want to do things, who have a passion - based on an idea, a skill, a hobby or an interest - that they could turn into a business. All they need is a little help, someone to break down the barriers to success. This is BizFizz!

www.bizfizz.org.uk

Business Ability / Enham

This is a free and confidential service for disabled people providing information, advice and guidance to help them design and develop their business ideas and progress, with confidence, towards self-employment. The programme supports people living in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Thames Valley (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire).

www.enham.co.uk

Business in the Community

Business in the Community inspires, engages, supports and challenges companies to continually improve the impact they have on society and the environment.

www.bitc.org.uk

British Chambers of Commerce

The British Chambers of Commerce is a non-political, non-profit making organisation, owned and directed by its members, democratically accountable to over 135,000 individual businesses of all sizes and sectors throughout the UK.

www.britishchambers.org.uk

British Library

The British Library Business & IP Centre in London can support you from that first spark of inspiration to successfully launching and developing a business. Access the UK’s most comprehensive collection of business and intellectual property information; attend events and workshops on anything from finance to PR, social enterprise to market research; and network with fellow entrepreneurs.

www.bl.uk/bipc/index.html 

http://bipc-ecourses.bl.uk

CAB Advice line

The online CAB service provides independent advice on your rights that is practical, reliable, up-to-date information on a wide range of topics, including what benefits you may be entitled to and coming off benefits, housing, employment and debt, consumer and legal issues.

www.adviceguide.org.uk/

Exemplas

Exemplas delivers solutions to help organisations all over the world to plan and grow in all areas: change management, people development, leadership and development, diversity management and business performance. They provide services on behalf of one of the premier Business Links in the UK including training and other support services for the county’s micro and SME population.

www.exemplas.com

Federation of Small Businesses

The FSB is a campaigning pressure group promoting and protecting the interests of the self-employed and owners of small firms. It offers assistance and support to members 24 hours a day, while its lobbying arm applies pressure on MPs, Government and Whitehall, lobbies politicians in their constituencies and puts the FSB viewpoint over to the media.

www.fsb.org.uk

Hidden Art

Hidden Art is a not for profit membership organisation that supports designers and design-makers to bring their products to market and succeed in the business side of designing.  Most of their services are centred around London but they do offer membership opportunities, network links and information services to other parts of the country.

www.hiddenart.co.uk

Inbiz

Helps put ideas into action and put you on the road to independence, even if you are unemployed and claiming benefits. They can give you all the advice, guidance and practical support you need.

www.inbiz.co.uk

Inland Revenue

If you’re thinking of working for yourself or have just started, you can arrange a free appointment with someone from the Business Support teams. They can give you practical advice on the tax matters that will affect you: record-keeping, filling in and filing your tax return - and what to do if you take someone on.

www.hmrc.gov.uk

Job Centre Plus

Disability Employment Advisers (also called DEAs) provide specialist support to people who are recently disabled, or those whose disability or health condition has deteriorated and who need employment advice, including self-employment.

Click here to Visit Job Centre Plus

Mentors’ Den

Mentors’ Den is an organisation based in Cornwall that was set-up to assist disabled people start their own business. They do this in many ways such as: providing free support from trained business mentors, facilitating access to a forum that will enable you to communicate with other entrepreneurs and assistance through other resources that will cover all facets of running a small business.  

Some of their business mentors are disabled, and all have a wealth of experience of large and small businesses. Among other things a mentor will be able to coach you through some of the more daunting aspects of business start-up.

The organisation’s objectives are:

• To provide networking opportunities among self-employed disabled people and those setting up and running their own small businesses.
• Signpost opportunities for accessible and appropriate training and development.
• Identify and share a ‘best practice’ on self-employment and small business management with disabled people.
• Assist in looking at strategic issues around disability, small business management and self-employment.

Tel:  01872 862 832

www.mentorsden.co.uk

National Federation of Enterprise Agencies (NFEA)

The National Federation of Enterprise Agencies is the membership body for Local Enterprise Agencies and other like-minded organisations in England. It forms a network of independent, not for profit, agencies committed to responding to the needs of small and growing businesses, helping develop their ability to start and sustain themselves and to encourage growth and stability.

www.nfea.com

National Innovation Centre (NIC)

National Innovation Centre (NIC) is a part of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement (NHS Institute*) and works to speed up the development and adoption of technological innovations that deliver the best results for the patient. If you have a product idea that you think will benefit NHS patients, then visit this website to see how they can offer support and assess your idea.

www.nic.nhs.uk

Prime

PRIME is the only national organisation dedicated to helping people aged over 50 to set up in business. PRIME are a not-for-profit company whose stated aim is to release the untapped potential of 50+ enterprises. While this may not be the route for all, PRIME believes that everyone should have the opportunity for self-fulfilment and independence that working for oneself can provide.

www.primeinitiative.org.uk

Princes Trust

Through practical support, including training, mentoring and financial assistance, the Trust helps 14-30 year olds realise their potential and transform their lives.

www.princes-trust.org.uk

Royal Association for Deaf people

The Royal Association for Deaf people (RAD) promotes the welfare and interests of Deaf people whose first or preferred language is sign language.

www.royaldeaf.org.uk

Shaw Trust

The Shaw Trust is a national charity that provides training and work opportunities for people who are disadvantaged in the labour market due to disability, ill health or other social circumstances. They are the largest UK provider of employment services for disabled people and support thousands of disabled and disadvantaged people across the UK to achieve their personal development and employment aims.

www.shaw-trust.org.uk

Social Enterprise London

The official definition of social enterprise to which SEL subscribes is:

‘A social enterprise is a business with primarily social objectives whose surplices are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners’

The movement is diverse and includes:

• Co-operatives
• Credit unions
• Housing associations
• Community development trust’s
• Social firms.

Tel:  020 7022 1920
Fax: 020 7022 1921

info@sel.org.uk
www.sel.org.uk

Yossa

Yossa is a new website that aims to get Britain back to work.

Yossa is the brainchild of musician and co-founder of factual media group Ten Alps Plc, Bob Geldof. It offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to submit their business idea, receive helpful comments from potential consumers and investors, and maybe raise money to kick their idea off. When ready, Yossa can also help entrepreneurs turn their idea into a limited company.

On Yossa, you can post your idea, receive helpful comments and feedback from other users and help to turn it into a limited company should you choose to. Yossa also allows users to search for a job, add a vacancy and showcase their skills. If you want to trade your skills for someone else’s, you can even add a barter job.

Yossa; Get a job, start a business, and let’s get Britain back to work.

chris.evans@tenalps.com
www.yossa.co.uk